Cambridge UK life science technology business Avacta has joined forces with Adeptrix Corporation in Massachusetts to develop and manufacture a high throughput COVID-19 antigen test using Adeptrix’s proprietary bead-assisted mass spectrometry (BAMS™) platform.

Quoted Avacta Group is the developer of the much vaunted Affimer® biotherapeutics and reagents.

The coronavirus antigen test will provide clinicians with a significant expansion of the available testing capacity for COVID-19 infection in hospitals.

Adeptrix’s novel BAMS platform combines enrichment of the sample to improve sensitivity with the power of mass-spectrometry to improve specificity. 

Hundreds of samples per day can be analysed by a single technician using BAMS, exceeding the capacity of single PCR machine. It makes BAMS a very attractive high throughput technique for COVID-19 screening in the clinical setting.

The diagnostic test will allow hospitals around the world to utilise their existing installed base of mass spectrometers that are not currently used for COVID-19 testing, contributing significantly to the increase in global testing capacity. 

Avacta’s recently developed Affimer reagents that bind the SARS-COV-2 spike protein will be used to provide the capture and enrichment of the virus particle from the sample which could be saliva, nasopharyngeal swabs or serum.  

Development of a BAMS test capable of diagnosing whether a person has the COVID-19 infection at any specific moment is a quick process and the companies are aiming to have a BAMS test ready for clinical validation, regulatory approval and manufacturing in June. 

Adeptrix and Avacta are already in discussion with large-scale manufacturing partners to rapidly deploy this new high throughput test. Further commercial details are not being disclosed but Avacta will receive a royalty on the sales of BAMS test kits by Adeptrix.

Dr Alastair Smith, Avacta Group’s CEO, said: “We are delighted to have established this partnership with Adeptrix in our push to develop Affimer -based COVID-19 antigen tests. 

“Jeff Silva and his team are world-renowned in the mass spectrometry field and the BAMS diagnostic platform is highly sensitive and specific, giving us great confidence that a high performance COVID-19 antigen test can be developed and launched commercially very quickly.

“We believe that the BAMS test will be hugely attractive as an adjunct to PCR testing because it uses laboratory equipment that is already in hospital labs but not currently used for COVID-19 testing so it provides incremental testing capacity.

“A consensus view is building around the world that hundreds of millions of COVID-19 tests are going to be required per month for a long period and that the disease will be endemic after the initial pandemic has passed, meaning that testing for COVID-19 is going to be needed for many years.

“I have made it clear that we intend to partner the SARS-COV-2 spike protein Affimer reagents with several select companies to support antigen test development on multiple diagnostic test platforms.

“This will contribute most effectively to the urgent need to increase antigen testing capacity globally and maximise the commercial return to Avacta. Adeptrix is one example of this and other discussions are underway.”

Dr. Jeffrey C. Silva, director of product development at Adeptrix Corporation added: “I am pleased to have Avacta recognise the promise of the BAMS technology with respect to its sensitivity, accuracy and high throughput capacity.

“I have worked with Affimers previously and found them to be excellent immunoassay reagents, so we are looking forward to quickly implementing the SARS-COV-2 Affimers in a BAMS diagnostic test.

“Mass spectrometry can enhance the diagnostic utility of immunoassays, as it is capable of monitoring both existing and emerging viral strains by accurately measuring the molecular components of the virus.

“BAMS provides an ideal multiplexing platform to obtain higher specificity for monitoring COVID-19 infection.”

Cambridge Big Biotech business AstraZeneca is teaming up with Oxford University to fast-track manufacture and distribution worldwide of a ‘Holy Grail’ COVID-19 vaccine.

The collaboration aims to bring to patients the potential vaccine known as ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, being developed by the Jenner Institute and Oxford Vaccine Group at the university. 

AstraZeneca will be responsible for development and worldwide manufacturing as well as distribution of the vaccine.

Pascal Soriot, CEO at AstraZeneca, said: “As COVID-19 continues its grip on the world, the need for a vaccine to defeat the virus is urgent.

“This collaboration brings together the University of Oxford’s world-class expertise in vaccinology and AstraZeneca’s global development, manufacturing and distribution capabilities. 

“Our hope is that, by joining forces, we can accelerate the globalisation of a vaccine to combat the virus and protect people from the deadliest pandemic in a generation.”

His colleague Mene Pangalos, executive VP, BioPharmaceuticals R & D, added: “The University of Oxford and AstraZeneca have a longstanding relationship to advance basic research and we are hugely excited to be working with them on advancing a vaccine to prevent COVID-19 around the world. We are looking forward to working with the University of Oxford and innovative companies such as Vaccitech, as part of our new partnership.”  

UK Business Secretary Alok Sharma, described the collaboration as absolutely critical to the campaign to eradicate the virus.He said: “This collaboration between Oxford University and AstraZeneca is a vital step that could help rapidly advance the manufacture of a coronavirus vaccine.

“It will also ensure that, should the vaccine being developed by Oxford University’s Jenner Institute work, it will be available as early as possible, helping to protect thousands of lives from this disease.”

The potential vaccine entered Phase I clinical trials last week to study safety and efficacy in healthy volunteers aged 18 to 55 years, across five trial centres in Southern England. 

Data from the Phase I trial could be available as early as next month and advancement to late-stage trials should take place by the middle of this year.

The recombinant adenovirus vector (ChAdOx1) was chosen to generate a strong immune response from a single dose and it is not replicating, so cannot cause an ongoing infection in a vaccinated individual. 

Vaccines made from the ChAdOx1 virus have been given to more than 320 people to date and have been shown to be safe and well tolerated, although they can cause temporary side effects such as a temperature, flu-like symptoms, headache or sore arm.

AstraZeneca, now globally headquartered in the Cambridge UK technology cluster, has been in the front line of the fight against COVID-19 from the outset, using its planet-wide power and influence to forge partnerships with contemporaries, governments and academic institutions to advance potential solutions to the killer virus.

Cambridge University spin-out, Xampla, dedicated to reduce microplastic pollution, has raised £2 million seed funding. 

The round was co-led by the university’s commercialisation arm Cambridge Enterprise and global technology investor Amadeus Capital Partners – co-founded by Hermann Hauser – with participation from Sky media group’s impact investment fund Sky Ocean Ventures and the University of Cambridge Enterprise Fund VI, managed by Parkwalk.

Xampla is developing the world’s first plant protein-based replacement for microplastics added to everyday items. The funding will enable the startup to develop its prototype material into products. 

Its initial target is the $12 billion microencapsulation market in which manufacturers of home and personal care products currently rely on synthetic polymer capsules, a usage the EU is considering banning.

Dr Elaine Loukes, Investment Director, Cambridge Enterprise, said: “Xampla has come up with a remarkable alternative to plastic. The fabrication process mimics those used by nature and the product is entirely made from natural materials. We are very pleased to be supporting a company with the potential for tremendous beneficial impact.”

Unlike current alternatives to microplastics, which are based on plant polysaccharides, such as cellulose and algae, Xampla’s plant protein materials do not rely on chemical cross-linking for their performance. This enables them to decompose quickly and completely in the natural environment.

Amelia Armour, Principal, Amadeus Capital Partners, said: “Xampla is a great example of deep tech emerging from the UK research base at exactly the right time to respond to regulatory changes and consumer trends around plastic. 

“We’re excited to be investing alongside an impact investor and backing a world-class science team that can offer commercial solutions for multiple industries.”

In proposing regulations on added microplastics, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) found that each year in Europe added microplastics equivalent to 10 billion plastic bottles were released into the environment and were practically impossible to remove.

Simon Hombersley, Xampla CEO, explained: “Our mission is to reduce the impact of single-use plastic, and our initial commercial focus is on intentionally-added microplastics.

“With our new plant protein material, we are committed to helping manufacturers make the transition from traditional plastics to high performance alternatives that protect the planet.”

The creation of the new material stems from a breakthrough from protein experts Professor Tuomas Knowles – a prolific founder of great tech companies from the UK – and Dr Marc Rodriguez-Garcia, inspired by the process a spider uses to create silk. 

Xampla facilitates a similar transformation at scale and in a very efficient process by using widely-available and renewable plant proteins, without the need for harmful solvents. 

The resulting Supramolecular Engineered Protein can be structured into plastic-like materials such as films, gels and capsules. Xampla holds two patents for the new material, with a third in development.

The scale of the potential economic impact of the EU’s proposed restriction can be seen in data submitted by the industry to the ECHA’s stakeholder workshop. 

For example, Cosmetics Europe, the trade body representing the European cosmetics and personal care industry, stated that a restriction of microplastics in both rinse-off and leave-on products would affect 24,172 formulations, resulting in loss of revenue for the industry of 12.2 billion euros per year.

Professor Knowles has already spun Fluidic Analytics and Wren Therapeutics out of his laboratory at the University of Cambridge.

Fluidic Analytics raised $31 million in 2018 to continue developing its transformational products for characterising proteins and their behaviour. The financing was led by Draper Esprit, a pan-European venture capital fund that invests in disruptive technology companies at the early and growth stages. Joining the round as new investors were Delin Ventures and BGF, making its largest life-sciences investment to date and first in Cambridge. IQ Capital and Amadeus Capital Partners also joined Draper Esprit in backing Fluidic for a third successive time since the company’s first financing in 2015.

Wren Therapeutics was founded in 2016 – a spin-off company from the University of Cambridge and Lund University in Sweden. It is focused on drug discovery and development for protein misfolding diseases.The company was founded by Proessor Knowles, Sir Chris Dobson, Michele Vendruscolo, Sam Cohen, Sara Linse and Johnny Habchi. It raised £18m in January 2019 from an international syndicate led by The Baupost Group with participation from LifeForce Capital and a number of private investors. 

One Cambridge technology consultancy has failed to make the cut and three others are sweating on Government decisions in the coming week on which projects will continue to be supported under the Ventilator Challenge launched to counter COVID-19.

Cabinet chiefs Michael Gove and Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, have unveiled which ventilator design projects are being backed, which still have a chance of continued support and which have been ruled out.

The Cabinet Office has ceased support for EVA, made by Team Consulting and Cogent Technology, along with three other designs from elsewhere in the UK.

Veloci-Vent, made by Cambridge Consultants Ltd and MetLase, the Sagentia Ventilator made by Sagentia and CoVent, made by TTP and Dyson, are among five projects which will continue to be eligible for support but only until being reassessed by a further clinical panel in the week ahead.

As things stand 11 devices are receiving support as part of the drive to increase ventilator supply and protect the NHS.

Following the recommendations of the expert panel, the Government will continue to provide support to four devices, as well the Penlon and paraPAC. It is scaling up production of existing Breas Medical devices, the Nippy 4+ & Vivo65, with the first units expected next month. In addition, two devices are subject to ongoing review to ensure that they continue to meet the needs of the NHS – Zephyr Plus, made by Babcock and Gemini, made by OES Medical.

The Government says its efforts to increase ventilator capacity have already seen an additional 2,400 mechanical ventilators made available to the NHS since the start of the pandemic with over 250 coming from the Ventilator Challenge so far. The number of extra ventilators rises to 6,745 in total when you include both mechanical and non-invasive ventilators; it adds that the UK now has 10,900 mechanical invasive ventilators available to the NHS, as well as 4,300 non-invasive devices.

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Michael Gove said: “The innovation, teamwork and commitment shown by manufacturers involved in the Ventilator Challenge has been inspirational. Everyone involved are heroes of our national effort and their contribution to protecting our NHS and saving lives will not be forgotten.”

Health Secretary Matt Hancock added: “Since we launched the Ventilator Challenge the ingenuity and innovation shown by so many companies has been truly awe-inspiring and has helped us continue to get ventilators to the frontline and keep capacity ahead of demand.

“Technology and innovation, operating hand-in-hand with the care and dedication of our fantastic health and social care staff, will help us overcome this virus.”

Cambridge technology giant and social enterprise evangelist Arm has triggered a new era in silicon prototype development by offering startups in the sector free access to its chip designs – the most widely used on the planet.

The superchip designer says the new program combined with the Arm ecosystem lowers design risk and could fast-track time to market for developed prototypes by anything from six to 12 months. 

This is a huge commercial uptick for silicon startups often handicapped by going it alone. Silicon is used extensively as a semiconductor in solid-state devices in the computer and microelectronics industries and startups can now scale with more speed and confidence thanks to Arm’s philanthropic generosity.

The new programme is being delivered through a novel extension of the Arm Flexible Access venture launched last year. This week sees the official launch of Arm Flexible Access for Startups and offers no-cost access to world’s most trusted IP portfolio, tools, training and full support for early-experimentation, design and prototype silicon.

Instrumental to the launch, Arm is partnering with Silicon Catalyst, a specialist incubator for silicon startups.

Dipti Vachani, senior vice-president and general manager, Automotive and IoT Line of Business at Arm, said: “In today’s challenging business landscape, enabling innovation is critical. Now more than ever, startups with brilliant ideas need the fastest, most trusted route to success and scale.

“Arm Flexible Access for Startups offers new silicon entrants a faster, more cost-efficient path to working prototypes, resulting in strengthened investor confidence for future funding.”

Early-stage startups in the sector can now access a wide range of Arm IP allowing them to experiment, design and prototype with various Arm solutions throughout the product development cycle. 

Arm defines “early-stage” as startups with up to $5m in funding. Startups meeting these criteria will have access to a broad portfolio of Arm-based processors, including IP from the Arm Cortex®-A, -R and -M processor families, select Arm MaliTM GPUs, ISPs, and other foundational SoC building blocks. 

Startups will also be able to supplement their in-house skills and experience with access to Arm’s leading ecosystem of silicon designers, software developers, support, training and tools.

Emerging use cases in areas such as AI at the edge, autonomous vehicles and IoT have spurred a new wave of silicon startups, as illustrated by new insights from Semico Research. Report findings show:-

• There has been a 10 X increase in funding from 2016 to 2019. In the last five years silicon startups have received more than $1.3 billion in funding
• Over a third of startups that have emerged in the past five years are targeting automotive, with another third targeting IoT applications
• In terms of key challenges, semiconductor startups have small engineering teams facing the increasing complexity of SoC designs and need to satisfy a growing range of customer and market requirements in the shortest timeframes possible
• Missing a market window could mean the difference between success or failure, so they rely heavily on a strong ecosystem to enable fast, low risk and robust product development in order to quickly, cost effectively bring a product to proof of concept and beyond.

The strategic partnership with Silicon Catalyst is another significant development in the industry. The incubator is focused exclusively on helping startups accelerate silicon solutions. 

Silicon Catalyst members can now access Arm IP, EDA tools and prototype silicon for free – significantly reducing costs at the critical stage of the business.

This latest announcement builds on the early success of the Arm Flexible Access program launched last year, which enables partners to pay an annual fee for immediate access to a broad portfolio of technology. 

The program has seen significant momentum, with more than 40 customers now registered, covering areas such as IoT, AI at the edge, autonomous vehicles and medical wearables. 

Arm already has a successful track record in driving engagements with innovative smaller customers, hundreds of which have seen significant success using Arm technology, such as AI chip vendor, Hailo, and fabless semiconductor company, Atmosic. This new program will enable further engagements with emerging silicon startups.

Arm technology is at the heart of a computing and data revolution that is transforming the way people live and businesses operate. Its advanced, energy-efficient processor designs have enabled intelligent computing in more than 160 billion chips and its technologies now securely powers products from the sensor to the smartphone and the supercomputer. 

In combination with Arm’s IoT device, connectivity and data management platform, the company is also enabling customers with powerful and actionable business insights that are generating new value from their connected devices and data. 

Together with 1,000+ technology partners Arm is at the forefront of designing, securing and managing all areas of compute from the chip to the cloud.

Cambridge Big Biotech AstraZeneca delivered a stunning performance in the first quarter of 2020 – combining dual roles as white knight to the healthcare community in the eye of the COVID-19 storm and darling of the stockmarket with rocketing revenues across all therapy areas and geographies.

The UK business hoisted revenues 16 per cent to $6.354 billion; this included product sales 15 per cent higher at $6.311bn. 

The performance of new medicines improved 47 per cent to $2.986bn, including new-medicine growth in emerging markets of 82 per cent to $658 million.

Revenue growth was achieved across all therapy areas: Oncology +33 per cent to $2.518bn, New CVRM8 +7 per cent to $1.102bn and Respiratory & Immunology +21 per cent to $1.555bn.

Revenue growth was achieved in every region; China returns rose 14 per cent to $1.416bn; those in the US by 16 per cent to $2.091bn; in Europe by 22 per cent to $1.204bn; and in Japan by 10 per cent to $553m.

The stock rose 81.43p to 8,269.43 on the news on  Wednesday, taking market cap to a staggering £108.48 billion.

CEO Pascal Soriot said every single employee across the globe could take a bow for achieving such strong revenue and profit growth against such a difficult and tragic backdrop in the COVID-19 crisis.

Altruistic AstraZeneca was among the first responders to the pandemic – initially in China and then elsewhere around the world – while keeping its eye on the ball in terms of its own financial performance.

That the company delivered such a strong quarter reflected the immense efforts of supply-chain, commercial and other colleagues around the world to get vital medicines to patients, Soriot said. 

He added: “Our focus ensured another quarter of strong growth across every therapy area and region. The new medicines performed extremely well, and our pipeline continued to deliver. 

“Standouts included landmark news for Tagrisso, Farxiga and Koselugo, our latest oncology medicine. The progress made on all fronts provides confidence that we will, once again, meet our full-year commitments.

“I could not be prouder of how the AstraZeneca team has responded to the challenges of COVID-19. We moved quickly to maintain continuity of care, contribute to society, and use our scientific expertise to fight the pandemic.
 
“We hope our efforts to protect organs from damage, mitigate the cytokine storm and the associated hyperinflammatory state, and target the virus prove to be successful.”

Low-cost ventilation designs allied to simpler configuration of wards can reduce the dispersal of airborne virus in emergency COVID-19 hospitals converted from large open spaces, say Cambridge University researchers.

The pandemic is stressing bed space capacity in hospitals globally. 

Healthcare authorities are trying to add thousands of additional bed spaces by temporarily adapting any available large open halls. Large air-conditioned halls tend to have top-down air-conditioning, which creates turbulent flows that can mix and spread droplets containing the virus very widely. 

At six full changes of the air in the hall in an hour it may take over 20 minutes to dilute the concentration of smaller droplets produced in a cough to below a tenth of their original density. 

This, say the researchers, is ample time for droplets to travel beyond 20m, putting healthcare professionals in particular at risk as they move about through “a slowly refreshing miasma.”

Professor Andrew Woods of Cambridge’s BP Institute (BPI) and Professor Alan Short of the Department of Architecture have developed a series of practical solutions to reduce the concentration of airborne virus experienced by patients and healthcare workers in buildings converted into makeshift wards.

The designs involve relatively low-tech adaptations to ventilation systems and ward configuration and are relevant for use globally.

The team recommends subdividing the large floorplate of a typical hall into enclosed patient zones, a minimum of 16 metre square, with some 10-20 beds separated by solid partitions up to 3 metre height, and lighter clear polythene sheeting above taped up to prevent air leaking in or out. 

Air is drawn through the back of the patient bays by an outflow ventilation duct, removing dirty air from the space and providing a clean corridor space for healthcare workers.

“Effective ventilation is critically important in helping to suppress cross-infection, and nowhere more so than in an infectious diseases ward,” says Professor Short. 

“Patients coughing or being ventilated will project droplets, some containing the virus, as an aerosol. They are so small that they may take tens of minutes to fall to the floor as the droplet evaporates in still air.”

Professor Woods adds: “Governments, healthcare decision-makers and construction workers are facing an extreme challenge in the urgent need to construct emergency hospitals. 

“Our work aims to highlight simple yet effective solutions that are relatively easy to install, implement, service and maintain.”

The team’s recommendations are based on physical laboratory experiments to test ventilation systems for two basic arrangements of beds: what is becoming a standard approach of placing hundreds of beds in an open hall with low level partitions, compared with arranging beds within enclosed patient bays so that, as far as possible, the exhaust air does not permeate the rest of the hall.

In the completely open version, ventilation air moves down to the ground and spreads out over the patient beds, leading to a highly mixed environment. When a patient coughs or releases aerosols, the flow pattern of the aerosols can extend across the space to other patient beds, even to patients across the corridor.

In the version subdivided into patient bays, the ventilation flow still comes down from the ceiling and moves into the patient bed-spaces and mixes, but a good proportion of this air is removed through exhaust ducts located behind the beds. 

When a patient produces aerosols within a bay, the aerosol concentration remains high in the bay and as air is drawn out through the exhaust duct this limits the aerosol transport into the main space.

“In a large hall, airflows mix up the airborne aerosols all too efficiently and disperse them through the space across patients and perhaps more significantly nurses and healthcare workers,” explains Professor Woods. 

“A small measure, such as the installation of part-enclosed patient bays with exhaust ducts can help reduce this dispersion.”

Professor Short added: “The strategies will work in many different climates. We’ve developed viable low energy ventilation models for converted spaces in many other climate regions from Temperate Northwest to the Mediterranean, from Continental climates in China and central India to the Mid-West of North America, Canada and marine coastal climates globally.”

In particular, the Cambridge team is working with Professor L.S. Shashidhara, Dean of Research at Ashoka University and adviser to the Indian government and architect C.S. Raghuram, to create viable conversions of marriage halls and sheds as emergency COVID-19 hospitals in India.

“Crucially, the measures we suggest are simple to implement as part of a rapid interior remodelling plan,” says Professor Short. 

“Our research shows that a small number of straightforward modifications would reduce risk in what is already a very risky environment.”

Because of the urgent need to share information relating to the pandemic, the researchers have released their preliminary report now, ahead of submitting to a peer-review journal. 

However, the designs are based on decades of research by Woods and Short on how particles like viruses are transported in mechanically ventilated spaces. 

The research was carried out in collaboration with colleagues at the Interdisciplinary Research Centre in Infectious Diseases, University of Cambridge.

Eisai, the Tokyo-based global pharmaceutical powerhouse, is the latest world leader in its field to provide financial and mentoring support for the Accelerate@Babraham initiative in Cambridge.

The Japanese business joins AstraZeneca, LifeArc and Mundipharma in backing the continued development of the fast-growing bio-incubator programme at the Babraham Research Campus.

Babraham says the additional funding will further enhance the ability of the campus to drive innovation in early science concepts and nurture new life science companies within the Cambridge cluster.

First launched in 2018, the Accelerate@Babraham initiative supports ambitious early stage life science ventures by giving access to appropriate short-term open access laboratory and office space, facilitating interaction with the academic community at the Babraham Institute and providing access to the campus’ global network, including mentoring and business support.

Derek Jones, CEO, Babraham Bioscience Technologies, which develops and manages the campus said: “Accelerate@Babraham doesn’t just focus on enabling access to laboratory facilities.

“We also match-make our startups with mentors who have experience specific to their needs and aspirations, in addition to curating a broad programme of events and activities specifically designed to progress ideas, challenge thinking and motivate these young entrepreneurs to strive for the next milestone in the development of their science. 

“As we enter our third year we have learnt much along the way and have the evidence to prove that our approach realises results.

“Our strategic partners, including Eisai, share our enthusiasm and drive to continue to evolve and improve the Accelerate@Babraham initiative year on year, with our collective aim being to support and encourage the next generation of talented individuals within the life sciences sector to succeed.”

Eisai is committed to delivering innovative products in various therapeutic areas with high unmet medical needs, including oncology and neurology.  Its work prioritises patients and their families through its focus to continually improve the benefits that healthcare can provide. 

As a global pharmaceutical company, its mission extends to patients around the world through investment and participation in partnership-based initiatives to improve access to medicines in developing and emerging countries. 

Kazumasa Nagayama, VP and chief strategy officer for Eisai Corporation said: “Eisai is delighted to be supporting Accelerate@Babraham and in so doing help to nurture the next generation of medicinal innovators.

“We believe that through supporting the vibrant UK innovation ecosystem, such as is being fostered by the Accelerate@Babraham initiative, we can accelerate the delivery of next-generation medicines to patients with unmet needs.

“It is a philosophy which we further support through our venture investment business. Eisai will support Accelerate@Babraham from our Hatfield Research Laboratories and this association will complement our existing External Innovation collaborative working model.”

A key activity within the Accelerate@Babraham initiative is the annual StartUP@Babraham competition. The competition supports ideas and/or companies that are pre-seed to seed stage (below £500k investment), the core objective of which is to help create new jobs, technology and therapies and to maximise the impact of the Cambridge life science cluster, both nationally and internationally.

Via a rigorous and competitive application and selection process, up to five early stage life sciences enterprises are selected to take part in the 5-month bio-entrepreneurial programme.

Applications for the third StartUP@Babraham competition opened on March 1; the programme itself will start in September.  Given the current environment due to COVID-19 the application deadline has been extended to June 17. 

Shortlisted applicants will be notified by July 1 and will be invited to pitch to a judging panel of business leaders via video or conference call in mid-July. Having spoken to all shortlisted applicants the judges will choose up to five winning finalists to be accepted onto the programme. 

To find out more and to apply visit: https://www.babraham.com/accelerate-babraham/accelerate-babraham-competition-2020/